Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr.
Albay 2nd district Rep. Joey Salceda is prodding the Commission on Appointments (CA) to give swift confirmation to newly-installed Presidential Adviser for Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity, Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. "I urge my colleagues who are in the Commission on Appointments to confirm Secretary Galvez in time for the budget hearings, which should take place some weeks after the SONA (State of the Nation Address)," Salceda said. "The appointment of Secretary Galvez comes at a crucial time for the OPAPP, when it will be defending its budget before Congress," he noted. OPAPP, which Galvez will head, stands for Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process. "As the tone of the President’s defense policy begins to focus on addressing external threats, Secretary Galvez’s role in keeping internal peace will be crucial to ensuring that we can devote resources to modernizing our national defense capabilities, instead of pursuing costly wars of attrition with rebel groups," Salceda further said. President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. will deliver his second SONA on July 24 during a joint session of the House of Representatives and the Senate in Batasan Complex, Quezon City. Batasan is the home turf of the House members. Incidentally, the discussions on the national budget will also begin in the House, since the chamber possesses the power of the purse. The bicameral CA is composed of select congressmen (House members) and senators. Salceda said that, considering the far-reaching success of OPAPP's programs in addressing the root causes of conflict, "I urge President Marcos that, with a permanent OPAPP head, his government devote increased funding for these programs that reach the most vulnerable communities." "I also look forward to working with him (Galvez) on improving the mechanisms for these projects, given the gaps pointed out by the same study," he added. Congress is currently on recess; July 24 will mark the start of the second regular session, paving the way for committee hearings including those from the CA. Salceda chairs the House Committee on Way and Means.